Weekend Things To Do in the South Bay and Harbor Area

SPECIAL EVENTS

Cirque du Soleil’s Totem: Featured under a 66-foot-high blue and yellow big top will be acrobatic performers embodying the spirit of amphibians, Native American hoop dancers and even a figure from outer space called The Crystal Man. Beginning Friday, the two-and-a-half-hour show opens at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro with performances scheduled through Nov. 10. It then travels to the Orange County Great Park Festival Site in Irvine starting Nov. 21, followed by a trip to the Santa Monica Pier on Jan. 17. Check it out at Berth 46, 3011 Miner St. Tickets: $50-$150; Cirque du Soleil. Read more on Totem.

Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival: Following a year’s hiatus, the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival returns for its 16th edition. It features 62 films, including 28 features (most of which are world, national, West Coast or local premieres), 11 documentaries and 23 shorts from 10 countries. The festival began Thursday and continues through Monday at Hollywood & Highland’s Chinese 6 Theatres, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. Tickets: Single-film admission starts at $13. Purchase online at Eventbrite or by phone at 323-446-2770. Read more on the Latino Film Festival.

FRIDAY

Avalon’s 100 Years Celebrated: The Catalina Museum explores the last 100 years of the city of Avalon with a new exhibition that begins Friday. “Avalon: 100 Years of Bizarre, Fascinating and Colorful History” recalls UFOs, fires, rumrunners, prohibition and scores of celebrities. The exhibit is preceded by a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday ($10 for the public, free for museum members). The museum, located on the ground floor of the historic Casino, is open daily from 10 a.m. To 5 p.m. For more information visit the Catalina Museum website.

Nosferatu: 1922 horror masterpiece, includes music played on the pipe organ, an audience sing-along, a comedy short and a 15-minute intermission, followed by the feature film. 8:15 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 8:15 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; Old Town Music Hall, 140 Richmond St., El Segundo; tickets $10/$8, cash or check only; 310-322-2592.

Peninsula Dinner Dance: Business, community and government leaders will gather to honor the tradition of philanthropy on the peninsula at a dinner dance put on by the Palos Verdes Chamber of Commerce. Awards for outstanding citizenship to a local business leader and three nonprofits will be presented. Terranea Resort, 100 Terranea Way, Rancho Palos Verdes. 6 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $150. Call 310-377-8111.

The Anaheim Harvest Festival Original Art & Craft Show: Billed as the West Coast’s largest indoor showcase featuring hundreds of exhibitors from across the nation, with displays of more than 24,000 original “made in the USA” handcrafted treasures, live entertainment, strolling performers, contests and an interactive Kidzone with Halloween crafts. Alliances with local non-profits benefit Second Harvest Food Bank and Knots of Love. The craft show is from 10 a.m. To 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. To 5 p.m. Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center, Hall E, 800 W. Katella Ave. For more informatiion, visit the Anaheim Harvest Festival website.

BlueZaPalooza Health Expo: Beach Cities Health District and Blue Zones Project will host the first “BlueZaPalooza Live Well Expo and Speakers Series” on Oct. 12. The event is from 2 to 6 p.m., with the speakers series from 2 to 4 p.m. At the Hermosa Beach Community Center, 710 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach. The event is free (but the speakers series costs $10) and features complimentary 10-minute massages, tastings from local restaurants, group exercise classes, prizes and fun activities for children. Please RSVP at bzp.eventbrite.com.

Women’s Health Screenings: Sam’s Club will host free women’s health screenings to promote early detection and prevention of breast cancer and thyroid issues in women. The full screenings include take-home breast self-exam kits, thyroid stimulating hormone tests, blood pressure screenings, body mass index calculations and vision screenings. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 12 at all Sam’s Clubs with a pharmacy. Go to the Sam’s Club website to find store nearest you.

Long Beach Jewish Film Festival: Billed as the world’s smallest film festival, the event continues Saturday and Sunday at the Alpert Jewish Community Center, 3801 E. Willow St. Admission is $10. For more information, call 562-426-7601. Read more on the Jewish Film Festival.

Benefit Concert: Pianist Steven Vanhauwaert and violinist Mira Khomik Anderson, 4 p.m. Saturday, St. Cross by the Sea Episcopal Church, 1818 Monterey Blvd., Hermosa Beach. Proceeds from the concert raise funds for the opening of a Ten Thousand Villages fair trade store in the South Bay; artisan products will be on display and for purchase; tickets $20/$15; 310-937-9722.

Holiday Boutique: The San Rafael Women’s Committee will hold its annual Holiday Boutique and Bake Sale featuring home baked goodies and lunch. Proceeds go to Wounded Warriors, Cheery for Children and the Harbor City Boys and Girls Clubs. San Rafael Clubhouse, 1065 Lomita Blvd., Harbor City. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free.

Environmental Workshop: The South Bay Cities Council of Governments’ Environmental Services Center presents “Moving Toward Zero Waste: How to Minimize Your Impact on the Environment.” This is the third workshop in the Sustainable Residential Workshop Series. 20285 S. Western Ave., Suite 100, Torrance. 9-11 a.m. Saturday and 7-9 p.m. Wednesday. Register on the workshop website or call 310-371-7222, Ext. 206.

CarFit program: Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in San Pedro’s Center for Optimal Aging, will host a free CarFit program in Torrance to educate seniors about ways to better fit into the driver’s seat and to make simple adjustments to ensure optimal safety. Sessions run about 20 minutes and help individuals learn the best placement for the steering wheel, mirrors, head restraints and other safety devices. Providence Health & Services Administrative Offices, 20555 Earl St., Torrance. 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. To make an appointment, call 310-832-3311, Ext. 6379.

Salt Marsh Open House: Learn about the Salinas de San Pedro wetlands habitat at Cabrillo Beach by using binoculars and microscopes to observe the many animal residents in the marsh. 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro. 10 a.m. to noon Saturday; free. Call 310-548-7562. Wilmington Yard Sale Fundraiser: Harbor Light Baptist Church yard sale will raise funds for its renovation fund from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 1031 N. Fries Ave., Wilmington. Solar Dyes Class: Learn from native plant expert Connie Vadheim how to dye yarn using nothing more than water, cuttings from your garden, a large jar, and the heat of the sun; Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve in Mother Nature’s Backyard Garden, 1200 W. 170th St., Gardena. 10 a.m. Saturday. Call 310-217-0681 for more information. Wildfire and Nature: The Junior Ranger program continues with the topic “Wildfire and Nature.” Attendees will meet Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority firefighters and discuss safety and wildfire ecology and will be able to try on real fire gear. Del Cerro Park, 2 Park Place, Rancho Palos Verdes. 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Call 310-544-5260 for more information.

SUNDAY

Peninsula Symphony Kicks Off Season: The first concert of the Peninsula Symphony’s 2013-14 season, featuring music by Mendelssohn and Rachmaninoff, pianist Rufus Choi, with Maestro Gary Berkson conducting, will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday (pre-concert lecture by Maestro Berkson is at 6:15 p.m.), at Redondo Union High School Auditorium, 631 Vincent St., Redondo Beach. Concert and parking are free. For more information, call 310-544-0320, Read more on the Peninsula Symphony’s new season.

Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay: The opening concert of the orchestra’s 31st season features Anna Polonsky performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 (“Jeunehomme”) in memory of Joan Moe, co-founder of the Norris Center for the Performing Arts, plus Mozart’s “Lucia Sillo” overture and Haydn’s Symphony No. 94 (“Surprise”); 8 p.m. Sunday, illustrated talk at 7:15 p.m. includes discussion of the relationship between Moe and the orchestra’s first concert in September 1983; Norris Theatre, 27570 Norris Center Drive, Rolling Hills Estates; returned subscriber tickets, $40, available at the box office; 310-544-0403.

Trick or Trot: Green Hills Memorial Park and Green Hills Mortuary will host the first ever Trick or Trot 5K Run and Harvest Festival on Sunday. The event will kick off with the 5K at 10:30 a.m., followed by a fun run/walk for the entire family. Race entry fee is $30; and $10 for the children’s fun run. Following the race, visitors are invited to attend the festival for a petting zoo, hay rides and crafts. There will also be several popular food trucks at the event.

BOOKS

Redondo Beach Book Sale: The Redondo Beach Friends of the Library is having its semi-annual half price book sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Redondo Beach Main Library, 303 N. Pacific Coast Highway. Everything in the book store (off the lobby) and in the meeting room on the second floor is on sale.

STAGE

The Weir: Drama in which a group of Irishmen spend an evening in their local pub impressing a young woman with local folklore tales involving the supernatural; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Oct. 19, with additional performances 8 p.m. Thursday, and 2 p.m. Sunday; Little Fish Theatre, 777 S. Centre St., San Pedro; tickets $20-$27; 310-512-6030.

Fever/Dream: A sardonic comedy about climbing the corporate ladder from the basement to the corner office; opens Friday and runs through Oct. 12, Studio Theatre, California State University Long Beach South Campus, 1250 Bellflower Blvd. Tickets $12-$15, $5 parking, 562-985-5526.

Angels Gate Cultural Center: “Picking up the Pieces: A Suicide Prevention Project,” an ongoing community art project curated by Stacey Wexler and in collaboration with residents from Harbor View House in San Pedro; and “What We See,” featuring work by Angels Gate Cultural Center studio artists; on view through Jan. 10. Gallery hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro; 310-519-0936.

Architecutre and Design (A+D) Museum: “Never Built: Los Angeles” showcases futuristic visions of Los Angeles that never made it past the drawing board. Museum hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and closed Monday. The exhibit continues to Oct. 13. Admission is $10, $5 for students and seniors, free for children under 12. The museum is at 6032 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. For more information, call 323-932-9393; A+D Museum.

ESMoA: “Fame” explores the ambivalent soul of Los Angeles, the multifarious foundations of what makes things famous and the possible connections between them. On view through Nov. 24. Professional Elvis impersonator contest Nov. 14 at Old Town Music Hall. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday; 208 Main St., El Segundo; ESMoA.

Koplin Del Rio Gallery: The Culver City gallery presents “Fantastic Sagas,” featuring new drawings by Robert Pruitt based on an original comic book written by Mat Johnson. The exhibit is on view through Oct. 18. For more information, call 310-836-9055. The gallery is at 6031 Washington Blvd.

Oct. 20: Peninsula Symphonic Winds Concert will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20 at the Community Center of Rolling Hills Covenant Church, 735 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates). Director Richard Babcock will lead the Winds through “Fall Color,” a concert featuring composers Dmitri Shostakovich, Gordon Jacob and Leonard Bernstein, as well as other favorites – Rodgers & Hammerstein, John Philip Sousa and more. Tickets are $10, children 12 & under are free with an adult. For more, go to the Peninsula Winds website.

Oct. 23: William Shatner: Capt. Kirk of “Star Trek” fame has made a few records, including Seeking Major Tom. He will perform in support of his most recent album, “Ponder the Mystery” at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23; tickets are $48; 21 and over; Saint Rocke, 142 Pacific Coast Highway, Hermosa Beach; tickets $15; 310-372-0035.